:: Dilip Cherian

Home gets a makeover

By Dilip Cherian

Jun 21 : The new home secretary G.K. Pillai may have been cherry-picked for India’s most high-pressure ministry, Home. But P. Chidambaram expects work from more than just the top guns. It’s not just long and regulated working hours under Mr Chidambaram’s eagle eye that is troubling the Home babus. Apparently the minister is keen to set the rest of his Home in order! He has already ordered a review of all officials in the ministry and is keen to cut the flab and streamline functioning. And to ensure punctuality and attendance among his babus, he is planning to install the biometrics-based attendance and access control systems in his offices.

Also on the anvil is his vital new private secretary for the minister since Rajiv Mittal, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer appointed by Mr Chidambaram’s predecessor Shivraj Patil, has already moved out. The revamping also entails some structural changes. According to sources, internal security and police will now be separate divisions in the ministry and VIP security will be brought under internal security division. Clearly the Home babus have a lot on their minds these days!

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Sharam ki baat

Nobody is quite sure, but there seems to be something not quite crystal clear about the exaggerated enthusiasm with which a certain economic ministry official is attempting to make a comeback to her home cadre. The lady in question has apparently made several visits to London in the recent past, not exactly on what can be even remotely described as official work. And what is worse, the subject of these visits was apparently among the factors trotted out during the nights-of-the-long-knives. Information that apparently preceded the long process of Cabinet formation, when the peccadilloes of senior ministers and some senior babus in the previous regime were discussed.

Whether it is just the recent and sudden departure of the two top-most bosses at the ministry that has dimmed this officer’s excitement for her current position, or whether it is the more urgent need to cool-off for a bit at least, nobody is quite sure of her motive. Strangely and yet, perhaps, understandably, the department where her previous boss has now landed does not seem to have any space for her to be accommodated appropriately. In any case, the Delhi government, which is apparently still in the dark on the context of her efforts to return to homebase, seems quite enthusiastic about welcoming the prodigal daughter back into its fold.

Of course, if ever the mandarins who were privy to those talks even whisper about the information that they had access to, the welcoming carpet may suddenly be rolled up again. In the meantime, mum is the word.